Terence Blanchard, a renowned trumpeter and composer, has been appointed as the executive artistic director of SFJazz in San Francisco. Blanchard, who recently received a 2024 Jazz Masters fellowship, is known for his innovative approach to jazz and his commitment to reflecting its growth. He plans to bring new technologies to SFJazz and address issues of unequal access by promoting outreach programs and traveling shows to neglected neighborhoods. Blanchard's extensive experience in jazz, film scoring, and education makes him well-suited for the role, and he aims to continue SFJazz's tradition of eclecticism and openness.
Terence Blanchard's "Champion" opened at the Metropolitan Opera, telling the real-life story of boxer Emile Griffith, who was haunted by guilt after an opponent died following a fight. The opera is the second by Blanchard to be staged at the Met in back-to-back seasons, following "Fire Shut Up in My Bones." "Champion" is a jazz-inflected work that depicts Griffith's life in flashbacks from his shattered memory, with three singers portraying him as a child, a young fighter, and an old man. The opera is diverting and smoothly staged, but sluggishly paced and eventually wearying, with a feeling of stagnancy.
Terence Blanchard's opera "Champion" is coming to the Metropolitan Opera in New York this spring. The opera is based on the life of bisexual boxer Emile Griffith, who killed his rival Benny "Kid" Paret in the ring in 1962. The opera explores how hyper-masculinity and homophobia led to the tragic event and how Griffith was haunted by it for the rest of his life. The opera features a blend of musical styles and portrays Griffith's rise to the heights of welterweight boxing and his eventual descent into a life colored by guilt and illness.
Terence Blanchard's opera "Champion" is set to make its New York premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in a revised and expanded version. The opera, which is modeled on the life of boxer Emile Griffith, features new arias and lines for supporting characters, as well as orchestral complexity and vocal elegance. Blanchard, a jazz performer and composer, has been revising the score during rehearsals, demonstrating his flexibility and willingness to tailor the music to the performers. The opera explores Griffith's journey from a straight-coded world to one of queerness, and Blanchard's score synthesizes the varied musical genres he has taken in during his career.
